kscans

Chapter 51 - Off on a Warrior's Pilgrimage

I finished explaining everything to them.

A long silence followed.

Breaking it, Bardos stood up and swung his right fist straight into my face.

I crashed into the wall.

As the girls stared in stunned silence, Bardos yelled.

"You bastard! You act without consulting anyone, and now you’re going to another country to get stronger?! How selfish can you be?!"

Bardos grabbed me by the collar as he shouted. Having taken the punch, I calmly replied.

"I’m sorry for acting on my own. But I don’t regret my decision not to take you with me at that time."

I said it with words full of resolve.

Bardos sighed. "...Haaah. I thought I knew how stubborn you were, but this is a whole new level. Fine. We’ll leave it at that for now. But if you’re going to another country, then I’m going too. Leona, hold down the fort."

To Bardos’s words, Leona replied.

"Well, I thought you’d say that. I’ll be waiting for you."

Leona said it with an exasperated tone.

Bardos was overjoyed.

However, I said.

"Wait. Bardos, I’m sorry, but could you stay in this country?"

Hearing my words, Bardos asked.

"Huh? Why? If you’re going to another country to get stronger, you’ll be fighting strong monsters, right? There’s no way I’m missing out on that."

Bardos voiced his confusion. It was true that I was going to get stronger, and fighting monsters was a given. But I said.

"After my fight with that Minotaur, Sidoor, I remembered something. About Harynair, whom we met in the royal capital a month ago."

At my words, everyone’s face showed a flash of recognition.

Harynair, the succubus who had defeated Tina and the others in the royal capital.

At that time, a combination of type advantage and coincidence allowed us to escape harm.

However, she had said, "You’ll remember this." I think she meant it for Bardos and me, but there’s no guarantee she won’t cause a stir in this country.

Thinking that, I continued.

"I don’t know if that succubus and Sidoor are on the same level, but I don’t think they’re unrelated. There might be others. Bardos, while I’m gone, I want you to protect this country. Please."

I bowed my head.

A long silence followed.

Then, Bardos said.

"...You’re right, I don’t think that succubus will just do nothing, and if there are others, there’s no reason they wouldn’t make a move. Fine. I’ll do it."

Bardos reluctantly accepted.

My persuasion was a success.

My explanation to everyone was also finished.

I met Tina’s eyes.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

To my words, Tina nodded.

Leona said.

"Are you leaving already? At least let us throw you a departure party."

To her words, Tina replied.

"I appreciate the thought, but Shinsuke and I decided to leave today, so we’re going."

Tina said it apologetically.

Leona said.

"Tina, haven’t you been poisoned by Shinsuke? You used to not be in such a hurry."

To her words, Tina replied.

"Do you think so? But it’s not a bad feeling. The thought that my body and soul now belong to Shinsuke makes my heart race, and it feels good."

As she spoke, Tina swayed her body back and forth.

The former members of "Beautiful Sword" were unsure whether their leader’s sudden change was for the better or worse, but they decided that if she was happy, then it was fine.

At the city gate.

With our departure preparations complete, Tina and I were on our cart.

Bardos and the others had come to see us off.

Rumily and Milfy said.

"Please be careful."

"Please take care of yourselves."

Leona said.

"I think it’s useless to say this, but please try not to be too reckless."

Leona said it with a worried tone.

Tina and I didn’t think we were being that reckless. Bardos said.

"Make sure you come back. I want to have a sparring match with you."

Bardos said it with a smirk.

In short, he wanted to have a match in exchange for protecting the country. I thought so, and I nodded.

And so, Tina and I departed.

In the lord’s mansion, in the office.

Lord Rosen and the Guild Master were there.

Silence dominated the space.

Why had it come to this?

The lord, having heard the whole story from the Guild Master, had said nothing and was simply staring up at the ceiling. Then,

"Adventurers are free to act as they please. No one has the authority to stop them. That’s the ironclad rule, but… for those two to go to another country is just too unexpected."

To these words, the Guild Master replied.

"Yes. The defeat must have been quite a shock to them. It’s good that they want to get stronger, but I never thought they’d go so far as to embark on a journey."

Hearing this, the lord asked.

"About that, is it true that the monster that appeared in the rocky mountains spoke human words?"

To this question, the Guild Master replied.

"According to their report, yes. A monster that can speak human language. It’s undoubtedly a high-ranking monster."

To this answer, the lord said.

"Indeed, and it said, ‘Get stronger,’ didn’t it? That would put it at the top class even among high-ranking monsters. Monsters are fundamentally about killing their enemies. There’s no need to let them live. Moreover, a normal monster would never say something so chivalrous."

The lord declared it with certainty. The Guild Master said.

"It’s possible that it’s one of the Seven Demon Lords."

At the Guild Master’s statement, the lord replied.

"I’d like to say that’s impossible, but given the current situation, that’s the most likely possibility. If the Seven Demon Lords are on the move, there’s no guarantee that something bad won’t happen."

The lord said, sighing. The Guild Master agreed.

If those monsters were on the move, it wouldn't be surprising if any kind of commotion occurred.

But this time, their target seemed to be Shinsuke, so if he handled it well, the damage could be minimized.

After thinking that far, the lord said.

"However, sending them to another country as spies is essentially telling them not to do anything conspicuous, right?"

To this question, the Guild Master replied.

"Yes, those two, if they learn that monsters are rampaging, will likely act on their own and subjugate them. And they won’t accept any reward. Moreover, they’ll do it as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. They’re guaranteed to attract attention. That’s why I sent them as spies. This way, the fear of being executed if they’re found out should keep them from fighting on the front lines, I hope… probably."

The Guild Master muttered the last word under his breath. His face was filled with anxiety.

He didn’t think those two would be intimidated by something like that, and what’s more, there was a high probability they would act out of a sense of duty as hunters.

An extremely high probability!

For that reason, the Guild Master couldn't declare it with confidence.

The lord also had a faint suspicion. There was absolutely no guarantee that those two wouldn’t stand out in another country.

Silence once again dominated the room.

Evening, in the Harg Kingdom, at the royal castle. In the office.

Only the King and the Prince were present.

A moment ago, a messenger bird had arrived, and the King had read its message.

The contents were that ‘Red Lightning’ had gone to investigate the monster that appeared in the rocky mountains, had been defeated, and was now embarking on a journey of training to another country.

It was written in detail.

After finishing reading, the King let out a deep sigh.

"Haaah. Honestly, with the Kraken, and Rodel’s rampage, why do so many headaches have to occur?"

The King said, holding his head in his hands. The Prince replied.

"I think it can’t be helped. No one could have predicted such a situation would arise. More importantly, Father, what will you do?"

The Prince said no more.

The King understood. He knew it was about what to do about those two.

"The spy thing is just a formality. There’s no need for me to approve it. For now, send a messenger bird and tell them to fabricate a story that ‘Red Lightning’ is away on a long excursion on a royal request."

The Prince nodded at these words.

The King was thinking.

The monster that appeared in the rocky mountains.

The monster that spoke human language.

That it was possibly one of the Seven Demon Lords.

The King had reached the same conclusion as the Guild Master and the lord.

That alone was proof that the fear of those monsters had been passed down to posterity.

The King was thinking of strengthening security and peripheral investigations. With the Seven Demon Lords on the move, being reactive was the worst possible move. All that was left was to figure out how to get it approved at tomorrow’s military council.

The Prince, after sending the messenger bird, was thinking.

About the future.

First, he thought he should select intelligence agents to investigate whether there were any unusual or unsettling movements in any region.

Information gathering was crucial in influencing the course of events.

As the two of them were deeply contemplating tomorrow…

They didn’t notice.

They were so lost in thought that they failed to notice that the door was slightly ajar.

The presence in front of that door.

The presence of the Princess.

The Princess thought.

"...I heard something good. I should go there myself."

As she thought this, she scurried away without a sound.

Events were set in motion without Shinsuke and Tina’s knowledge.

At that time, the two of them had no idea.

Of the incidents that were about to occur.